Deemed Guilty?

What are your thoughts? What would be your reaction if this happened to you: Condemned to death for testifying about your true identity? Yet, this is why Jesus was found guilty!

Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him [Jesus], because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. John 5:18 Note: ALL Scriptures are in italics.

Indeed, Jesus is equal with God. He is God manifest in the flesh! Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, [Jesus Christ] and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Matthew 1:23 God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. 1 Timothy 3:16

Who, being in the form of God [Jesus Christ], thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:6-8

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he [God] hath purchased with his own blood. Acts 20:28

Yet, how could this happen?

He [Jesus] healed untold numbers of the lame, sick, and even blind; fed thousands, and ministered to those from all walks of life; yet, He was adjudicated “Guilty”!

As you read this teaching, be aware of the fact that no matter how negative and wicked are the circumstances, God is, was, and will always be in control. He knows the beginning to the end. I am God … Declaring the end from the beginning … Isaiah 46:9-10 I [Jesus] am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending … the Almighty. Revelation 1:8

The Triumphal Entry—was it victory or defeat?

And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna* to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. Matthew 21:8-9 (*Hosanna, a cry of adoration, means save me, I beseech [beg of] you).

Yet, by the end of the week, Jesus was crucified. He was subjected to a mock trial among his peers … And they all condemned him to be guilty of death. Mark 14:64 “Guilty. Crucify Him,” was their angry, mob-controlled, tenor. Ironically and tragically, this was a few days after they had cheered His arrival as He came into Jerusalem riding on a colt.

His arrival was not a secret: it was foretold.

This, the Triumphal Entry, and numerous—even minute details—of the following seven days, and other events, were foretold hundreds of years before they happened. How do we KNOW this? They were recorded throughout the Old Testament, even before they happened.

Consider the Old Testament foretelling (prophecy) of the Triumphal Entry: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly … and riding … upon a colt … Zechariah 9:9 The prophet Zechariah likely wrote this between 480-470 B.C., more than 500 years before Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt. Additionally, this colt upon which He rode, had never been ridden before—one that had not been broken to accept a rider. Yet, Jesus had control of even the stubborn spirit of this animal! Not only that, but up until this time, Jesus had walked everywhere He went during His ministry; but, five days before His crucifixion He, for the first and last time, rode a colt into Jerusalem. As the Scripture records, this was to fulfill prophecy: what had been written hundreds of years previously. Being aware of fulfilled prophecy should help believers to understand that God was and is in control.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record even God’s pre-arranged directions for finding the colt and bringing it to Jesus. Jesus sent two disciples Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. Matthew 21:2-3

In the midst of all the cheering, Luke tells us And when he was come near, he beheld the city [Jerusalem], and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. Luke 19:41-42 What Jesus was saying was that the people should have known the purpose for His Triumphal Entry and what would follow as it had been foretold. However, because they refused to believe, they became blinded, and thus, Jesus lamented: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Luke 13:34

There were multiple betrayals.

The betrayal of Jesus didn’t end with those who once cheered Him as He rode into Jerusalem; but added to those who turned against Jesus was the trusted treasurer of the disciples who played a major part in the capture of Jesus. Yes, it was Judas, one of His 12 disciples, who after eating the Last Supper with Jesus and the other disciples, left the meal and went to sell the identity of Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Later, Judas brought … with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people to the Garden of Gethsemane where Judas knew Jesus would be praying and identified him with a kiss. Matthew 26:47

Jesus replied: Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled. Matthew 26:55-56

Judas’ wicked betrayal was prophesied by the Old Testament prophet Zechariah (11:12): And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. In Psalm 41:9 it is prophesied: Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. Thirty pieces of silver, under the Mosaic law, was the price to be paid to remedy the damage done to a slave that had been gored by a neighbor’s ox. See Exodus 21:32. Also STUDY Genesis 3:15 … thou shalt bruise his heel.

Though Judas was a willing instrument in the betrayal, the Son of God was totally in control. He was laying down his life willingly … I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again … John 10:17-18

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

It had to happen to fulfill
prophecy and provide
for all believers (Christians).

The Bible is a compilation of prophecy and fulfilled prophecy.

We are reminded, more than 50 times, of the many instances of Bible prophecy (telling of events before they happened) that were fulfilled and then recorded throughout the New Testament with key signal words. These words should be signposts to inform readers of prophecy being fulfilled: All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet … Matthew 21:4 Even though recorded by the hand of holy men chosen of God, it was God … manifest in the flesh … [1 Timothy 3:16] in the human form of Jesus Who designed, recorded, and has preserved every word in the Bible. And thus, He also warns man (you and me) not to change even the smallest part of it: not a jot or tittle; nor to add to or subtract from it. (Study Proverbs 30:6, Matthew 5:18, Revelation 22:18-19, et al.)

Sadly, most new version authors remove the words jot and tittle in Matthew 5:18. These were words spoken by Jesus AND recorded from the underlying Greek manuscripts to reference the Old Testament Hebrew language: (jot: tenth letter of Hebrew alphabet; tittle: curvatures in lines which distinguish Hebrew letters). These two distinctive words, jot and tittle, refer only to the Hebrew language. So when authors substitute words such as letter, stroke of pen, iota or dot, they remove the Hebrew reference. The aforementioned English substitutes can refer to any other language. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Matthew 5:18 God is disobeyed when man changes His words, and what is to be fulfilled is often maligned.

These authors also remove the word verily in Matthew 5:18 and throughout their writings. Verily is highly important when used by Jesus. It is recorded 103 times in the gospels in the King James Bible and is correctly contextually translated from the underlying Greek text.

From where do we get our Bible?

God, who at sundry [various] times and in divers manners [in many different formats] spake in time past … by the prophets [throughout the Old Testament] Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son [Jesus] … by whom also he made the worlds … when he [Jesus] had by himself purged our sins [paid the price through the shedding of blood on the cross]. Hebrews 1:1-3 These events, orchestrated by God throughout the ages, were, by His direction, recorded: For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Peter 1:21

What is the gospel?

We often refer to the gospels, but how can they be succinctly conceptualized as the gospel? It’s the apostle Paul who gives the answer. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel … how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

The death, burial and resurrection are all a part of the gospel recorded in each of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John); however, it’s the resurrection that provides, for believers, eternal life with the LORD.  If Jesus had not risen from the grave, we would have no hope for the same, and we would die in our sins—with the debt of sin (which can only be paid through the shedding of Jesus’ innocent blood).

… because I [Jesus, God manifest in the flesh] live,
ye shall live also. John 14:19

As proof of the bodily Resurrection of Jesus, Paul continues to cite many of the appearances of Jesus after He had been in a tomb, sealed shut with a huge circular rock still covering the opening to the Sepulchre. (The stone could have weighed between one to two thousand pounds).

• And that he [Jesus] was seen of Cephas [Peter],
• then of the twelve:
• After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once …
• After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
• And last of all he was seen of me [Paul] … 1 Corinthians 15: 3-8

They KNEW when …  

To add a bit of levity (humor!) to this heavy subject, study one of the accounts of an appearance of Jesus after His Resurrection given in Luke 24:13-35. It’s an account about two disciples who were lamenting the passion and death of Jesus. (The word passion comes from the Greek word pascho which means to suffer.) As the two disciples were walking, Jesus suddenly appeared; however, they didn’t recognize Him. He asked them why they were so sad. Cleopas answered: … Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are to come to pass …? And he [Jesus] said unto them, What things? At which time they shared with Him that Jesus of Nazareth … which was a prophet mighty in deed and word …was condemned to death by the chief priests and rulers and was crucified. Certain women followers went to the sepulcher but found an empty open tomb. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulcher, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. Luke 24:24 Jesus, of course, knew all this, as it was He about whom they were talking!

As the trio continued on their almost eight-mile walk … beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he [Jesus] expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:27. As they approached Emmaus, Jesus acted as if he were going to depart; however, they urged him to come to their home … for it is toward evening … and he [Jesus] went in to tarry with them. Luke 24:29 They prepared a meal at which time Jesus … took bread, and blessed it, and brake and gave to them. And their eyes were open, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. Luke 24:30

Have you thought about what it was that made these two disciples realize who it was they had just entertained? What happened immediately before Jesus disappeared? And their eyes were opened, and they knew him … Luke 24:31 … he [Jesus] took bread … and brake, and gave it to them. Luke 24:30 What would be exposed as He served them bread? Would it not be the nail holes in His hands! And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. Luke 24:35

… Except I [Thomas, a disciple] shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails … I will not believe. John 20:25 … they pierced my hands and my feet. Psalm 22:16 written some 500 years BEFORE Jesus was crucified, the Old Testament prophet Zechariah recorded: And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? … Zechariah 13:6

BEWARE, new version authors mistranslate the word hand in Zechariah 13:6 which is an egregious violation of Scripture: ESV: wounds on your back; NIV: wounds on your body; NASV and NKJV: wounds between your arms.

Many artists, and some sculptors, through the ages, have also wrongly misrepresented the image of Jesus as he was nailed to the cross. They show nails inserted through His wrists instead of through the palms of His hands. The Scripture states: For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. John 19:36 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Psalm 34:20 It would be IMPOSSIBLE to nail Jesus to the cross through His wrists without breaking bones. Study the image of the bones in the wrist above.

Only God could have foretold …

The focus of this article has been to help each of us to prayerfully review only a very small, microscopic picture of the miraculous events that are recorded in the Bible regarding the death, burial, and resurrection of God manifest in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. Not only is God’s love beyond human comprehension; but, He planned each and every detail of the death, burial, and resurrection from the very beginning. He left for us a record of this in our Bible. It was designed outside our time domain by God but recorded over thousands of years, in sixty-six books, penned by forty hand-picked holy men from different parts of the world, in which every detail has been deliberately created and preserved.

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
2 Peter 1:21

However, there is this one event—the pinnacle of our eternal existence—which we celebrate in the spring of the year—the Resurrection of Jesus Christ; notwithstanding, all the miracles throughout the ages that led up to this event. Even so, as this article began with the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem, so shall it end by drawing the reader’s attention to one final prophecy related to that beast of burden carrying on his back the only Begotten Son of God into Jerusalem. That prophecy is found in the Old Testament book, given by the angel Gabriel to Daniel, known as the prophecy of 70 weeks.

Why is this so important? It is the only prophecy in the Bible that foretells, some five hundred years in advance, the very day that our Messiah Jesus Christ would ride into Jerusalem as King, Priest, and Saviour to initiate the events called the passion. This prophecy is recorded in Daniel 9:24-27.

The details of how this date of Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem is computed exactly as 173,880 days is beyond this study AND beyond my ability to adequately present it. However, there are many who have written the mathematical specifics which you can study. The foremost expert is Sir Robert Anderson, The Coming Prince (in book format and Kindle). See also J. Dwight Pentecost’s Things to Come and Dr. Chuck Missler’s Daniel Commentary Handbook.

This was God manifest in the flesh!

It was March 30, AD 33,
believed to be the day of the Triumphal Entry
of Jesus (God manifest in the flesh)
into Jerusalem.

How about you?

There’s a lot of information presented above; however, just reading the words on these pages will do nothing for your eternal existence in the presence of the LORD IF you have not (1) made Jesus Christ LORD of your life and (2) repented from sinful lifestyles. Absent the latter acts, His sacrificial love becomes of non-effect for you. There is one of two choices for every person on this earth: heaven or hell. The latter choice is graphically, succinctly described as a place of eternal torment: … hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9:43-44

God desires that no person would reject His love and provisions for eternal life in His presence. However, you must choose this day whom you will serve. Below is a suggested prayer you can pray:

Dear Jesus, I have lived my life on my own terms until now. Today, I want to surrender my life to you and turn from my sinful acts. Please forgive me and help me to turn from sinful ways in my life. Wash me with your precious blood. I want to follow you for the rest of my life. Please help me to make right choices in my life, according to Your Word (Scriptures). In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

If you have questions, need prayer, or would like to be added to our free email teaching distribution, please write to us. We are blessed when we hear from you.

Happy Resurrection Day

In Christ’s Service,

Judith Brumbaugh
Founder/President:
Restoration Of The Family, Inc.
PO Box 621342 Oviedo, FL 32762-1342; www.RestorationOfTheFamily.org; RestorationOfTheFamily@gmail.com